Field  Columbian  Museum 

Publication  No.   102 

Anthropological  Series  Vol.  VII,  No.  2 


THE   PONCA  SUN    DANCE 


BY 


George  A.  Dorsey 

Curator,  Department  of  Anthropology 


THE  LIBRARY  0. 

FEB  17 « 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 
December,   1905 


Field  Columbian  Museum 

Publication  No.   102 

Anthropological  Series  Vol.  VII,  No.  2 


THE    PONCA   SUN    DANCE 


BY 


George  A.  Dorsey 

Curator,  Department  of  Anthropology 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

FEB  17  1938 

UNIVERS0KrifeftUNOIS 


Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 

December,    1905 


xs-. 


57  2,-05 
FA 

Cop.  ^ 


THE  PONCA  SUN  DANCE 


By 
George  A.  Dorsey 


CONTENTS. 

Introductory  Note  .----.----67 

PART   I.— GENERAL   OBSERVATIONS. 

Name       ------------  69 

Time  and  Duration      ----------  69 

Participants     -----------  69 

PART   II.— THE   CEREMONY. 

First  Day    ------------  71 

The  four  secret  tipis  of  preparation          -         -         -         -         -         -  71 

The  mourning  feast      ---------  71 

Second  Day  ------------  72 

Preparation  for  the  sham  battle           ------  72 

Spying  the  centre-pole    -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -  72 

Moving  the  tipis  of  preparation            ------  73 

Inviting  the  dancers        ---------73 

Building  the  lodge       ---------  73 

Capturing  the  centre-pole        -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -  74 

The  four  tipi  altars     ---------  74 

Third  Day     ---- 75 

The  race  to  the  centre-pole          -------  76 

Painting  the  centre-pole           --------  76 

Preparation  for  the  altar    --------  77 

The  dancers  enter  the  lodge    -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -  77 

Completion  of  the  altar       --------  77 

Beginning  of  the  dance            --------  78 

The  evening  and  night  performance     ------  79 

Fourth  Day            -----------  79 

Fifth  Day 80 

The  sunrise  dance             ---------  80 

The  final  dance  ----------  81 

Secret  rites  in  the  tipis  of  preparation     ------  81 

The  sacrifice       ----------  81 

Torture  -----------82 

Paints  and  Costumes          ---------  83 

First  paint      -----------83 

Second  paint       ----------  85 

Third  paint ---85 

Conclusion      -----------  86 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATE 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI, 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 


Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 


Fig.  2. 
Fig.  i. 
Fig.  2. 
Fig.  i. 
Fig.  2. 


White-Eagle,  Sun  dance  chief. 

Big-Elk,  assistant  leader. 

Mourning  feast. 

One  of  the  secret  tipis  of  preparation. 

Sun  dance  servants. 

Sun  dance  pipe-bearers. 

Sun  dance  priests  assembling. 

Mounted  Dog-soldiers  leaving  the  camp-circle. 
Sun  dance  priests  awaiting  return  of  Dog-soldiers. 
Sham  battle  after  capture  of  the  center-pole. 
Fig.  i .     Diagram  of  first  altar. 

Diagram  of  second  altar. 

Diagram  of  third  altar. 

Diagram  of  fourth  altar. 

View  of  third  altar. 

View  of  fourth  altar. 
Preparing  the  centre-pole. 
Raising  the  centre-pole. 

Entrance  of  priests  and  dancers  to  Sun  dance  lodge. 
Entrance  of  priests  and  dancers  to  Sun  dance  lodge. 
The  <Sun  dance  lodge  altar. 
Beginning  of  dance,  outside  the  lodge. 
Incidents  of  the  noon"dance,  third  day. 
The  dance  to  the  setting  sun,  third  day. 
Incidents  of  morning  dance,  fourth  day. 
Incidents  of  morning  dance,  fourth  day. 
General  view  of  camp  and  Sun  dance  lodge,  fourth][day. 
Fig.  i.     Depositing  wreaths  at  foot  of  centre-pole,  last  day. 

Depositing  sacrifices  of  flesh  at  foot  of  centre-pole,  last  day. 

Costume  of  first  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  second  group  of  dancers. 

First  paint  of  first  group  of  dancers. 

First  paint  of  second  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  third  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  fourth  group  of  dancers. 

First  paint  of  third  group  of  dancers. 

First  paint  of  fifth  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  fifth  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  sixth  group  of  dancers. 

First  paint  of  sixth  group  of  dancers. 

First  paint  6f   seventh  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  seventh  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  eighth  group  of  dancers. 


Fig.  2. 

Fig.  i. 

Fig.  2. 

Fig.  i. 

Fig.  2. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 


66 


Illustrations. 


PLATE 
XXIX. 

XXX. 
XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 


Fig.  i.     First  paint  of  eighth  group  of  dancers. 

Fig.  2.     First  paint  of  part  of  ninth  group  of  dancers. 

Costume  of  ninth  group  of  dancers. 


Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 


First  paint  of  part  of  ninth  group  of  dancers. 

Second  paint  of  fifth  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  second  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  third  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  fourth  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  sixth  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  seventh  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  seventh  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  eighth  group  of  dancers. 

Third  paint  eighth  group  of  dancers. 


Figure  i.    Diagram  of  paint  of  buffalo  skull,  p.  78. 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE. 

The  account  of  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance  here  presented  may,  at 
best,  be  considered  imperfect  and  unsatisfactory.  This  is  due  chiefly 
to  the  fact  that  I  have  been  able  to  witness  the  ceremony  but  once, 
and  that  opportunity  has  not  been  afforded  to  investigate  the  cere- 
mony by  questioning  the  priests.  It  must  also  be  noted  that,  owing 
to  the  rapid  deterioration  of  the  Ponca  in  recent  times,  the  ceremony 
has  lost  much  of  its  former  hold  on  the  tribe.  Owing  to  the  prox- 
imity of  the  camp-circle  to  the  railroad  and  to  white  communities  of 
considerable  size,  the  ceremony  is  witnessed  each  year  by  a  large 
number  of  white  visitors.  This  has  contributed  much  to  weaken  the 
genuineness  of  the  feeling  for  the  ceremony.  Not  the  least  difficulty 
which  I  encountered  in  the  brief  time  that  I  have  been  able  to  devote 
to  the  Ponca,  was  my  inability  to  secure  the  services  of  a  satisfactory 
interpreter.  This  does  not  mean  that  there  are  no  educated  young 
men  in  the  tribe,  or  that  the  priests  are  unwilling  to  give  such  infor- 
mation as  they  possess  about  the  ceremony.  The  real  difficulty  lay 
in  securing  an  interpreter  who  would  be  willing  to  confine  his  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  in  hand.  Imperfect  as  this  account  is,  however, 
I  offer  it  as  a  contribution  to  the  study  of  the  Sun  Dance  in  general. 

It  is  with  much  pleasure  that  I  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to 
White-Eagle,  the  chief  of  the  Ponca,  to  the  minor  chiefs,  and  to  the 
priests  and  dancers  of  the  ceremony  for  their  uniform  willingness  to 
assist  me,  both  in  securing  information  on  the  ceremony  and  in  pho- 
tographing the  more  important  events. 

George  A.  Dorsey. 

November  i,  1905. 


PART   I.— GENERAL   OBSERVATIONS. 

NAME  OF  THE  CEREMONY. 

The  name  the  Poncas  give  to  the  Sun  Dance  ceremony  is  Sun- 
Seeing-dance ;  that  is,  the  sun  is  a  witness  to  the  dance.  Another 
name  at  times  applied  to  the  ceremony  is  Sacred  or  Mystery  dance. 

Time  and  Duration. 

The  time  of  the  ceremony  is  determined  by  the  Thunder-men 
(Sun  Dance  priests),  who  assemble  at  the  call  of  the  tribal  chief  in 
the  spring  for  this  purpose.  The  month  being  determined,  they 
choose  the  time  of  the  month  when  the  moon  is  at  least  half  full. 
All  the  Ponca  ceremonies  of  which  I  have  any  record  have  been  held 
in  June  or  July,  the  majority  in  the  latter  month. 

Participants. 

The  priests  of  the  ceremony  are  called  Thunder-men,  and  are 
medicine-men  who  have  fasted  at  least  four  times  during  previous 
ceremonies  and  who  have  learned  the  rites  and  paints.  The  priests 
determine  who  shall  dance  in  each  ceremony,  each  priest  selecting 
one  or  more  men  who  shall  report  to  the  priests  in  general  at  a  certain 
time  during  the  ceremony,  when  the  dancer  selects  his  instructor  and 
remains  in  his  care  until  the  end  of  the  ceremony  and  compensates 
him  liberally  for  his  instructions.  Each  individual  chosen  may  be 
expected  to  be  thus  called,  on  three  additional  performances,  where- 
upon he  becomes  a  Sun  Dance  priest.  To  be  thus  chosen  is  not  without 
considerable  honor,  for  each  dancer  is  supposed  to  bear  the  sufferings 
of  the  tribe.  The  priesthood  of  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance  is,  therefore,  a 
close  corporation  with  self -perpetuating  power.  Each  priest  selects 
a  servant  and  two  pipe-bearers,  one  to  take  care  of  his  pipe,  the  other 
to  look  after  the  gifts  or  presents.  The  ceremony  is  in  charge  of  the 
oldest  and  most  learned  of  the  priests  and  more  especially  under  the 
direction  of  the  war-priest  of  the  tribe.  There  are  neither  pledgers 
for  the  ceremony  itself  nor  those  who  vow  they  will  dance  and  fast. 
During  the  ceremony  the  directors  were  as  follows: 

White-Eagle,    Chief.    (See  PL  I,  Fig.  i.) 

Hairy- Bear,      Leader. 

Big-Elk,  Assistant  Leader.     (See  PL  I,  Fig.  2.) 

69 


70        Field  Cglumbian  Musetm  — Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 


The  following  list  contains 

the  names  of  the  priests,  or  grand- 

fathers,  as  those  who  attend  to  the  painting  are  called,  and  those 

who  were  to  fast  and  dance: 

v 

Priests. 

Dancers. 

i.     No-Ear. 

Through-Hole. 

Black-Buffalo-Bull. 

2.     Little-Walker. 

Frank-Eagle. 

Fire-Shaker. 

Yellow- Ricket. 

Carl  Four-Bear. 

3.     Two-Crows. 

Philip  Other. 

Charles  McDonald. 

Martin  Blue-Back. 

Jack  Rough-Face. 

. 

Edward  Little-Warrior. 

4.     Sits-on-Hill. 

Little-Hale. 

Willie  Poor-Horse. 

Albert  Black-Coal. 

(Oto.) 

5.     Little-Dancer. 

James  Other. 

Jessie  Gives-Water. 

Jack  No-Care. 

6.     Polecat. 

Black-Horse. 

(Osage.) 

Clarence  Black-Hair-Horse. 

Joe  Knows-the-Country. 

7.     Black-Elk. 

Fred  Smith. 

Fred  Crooked-Hand. 

(Oto.) 

8.     White-Deer. 

Makes-Cloud. 

Little-Snake. 

Oscar  Makes-Cry. 

John  Bull.  . 

Buffalo-Chief. 

Mrs.  Little-Snake. 

9.     Little-Hard-Man. 

Atkins  White-Tail. 

Leonard  Big-Goose. 

Leon  Little-Turtle. 

John  Hudson  (Oto). 

(Oto.) 

From  the  list  it  is  seen  that  four  Oto  and  one  Osage  participated 

in  the  ceremony,  and  one  woman. 

PART   II.— THE   CEREMONY. 

The  time  and  place  of  the  ceremony  having  previously  been 
announced  to  the  tribe,  they  aim  to  move  camp  and  have  formed  the 
camp-circle  by  evening  of  the  day  before  that  set  for  the  beginning  of 
the  ceremony.  From  this  time  until  the  close  of  the  ceremony,  all 
who  are  to  participate  in  the  ceremony  abstain  from  women,  other- 
wise serious  accidents  would  result. 

FIRST   DAY. 

The  Four  Secret  Tipis  of  Preparation. 

The  camp-circle  being  completed,  the  priests  selected  four  tipis, 
located  one  on  the  southeast,  one  on  the  southwest,  one  on  the  north- 
west, and  one  on  the  northeast  of  the  circle.     They  assembled  within 
these  tipis  according  to  the  following  grouping: 
No.  i.     White-Deer. 
Black-Elk. 
Polecat. 
No.  2.     Little  Dancer. 
Sits-on-Hill. 
Hairy-Bear. 
No.  3.     Two-Crows. 
No-Ear. 
Little-Walker. 
No.  4.     White-Eagle. 
Big-Elk. 

Little-Hard-Man. 
No  rites  were  performed,  but  they  visited  back  and  forth  from 
one  tipi  to  another,  provided  certain  raw  materials  to  be  used  later 
in  the  ceremony,  decided  on  the  individuals  who  were  to  perform 
certain  rites  later  on,  and  discussed  the  names  of  the  men  who  were 
to  be  invited  to  participate  as  dancers  during  the  ceremony. 

Mourning  Feast. 
At  about  noon  there  occurred  on  the  south  side  of  the  circle  a 
mourning   feast,    at   which   time   many   presents,   including   horses, 
ponies,  trunks,  shawls,  etc.,  were  given  away.     This  was  followed  by 
the  feast.     (See  PL  II,  Fig.  1.) 

71 


72       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

The  most  important  event  of  the  day  was  the  appointing  by  each 
priest  of  pipe-bearers  and  a  servant  who  should  run  errands  and 
assist  him  generally.  The  servants  (see  PI.  Ill,  Fig.  i)  collectively 
act  as  police  and  guard  the  camp.  The  pipe-bearers  (see  PI.  Ill, 
Fig.  2)  always  accompany  the  priest;  one  bears  his  pipe  and  paints 
and  fasts  just  as  the  priest  does  who  appoints  him ;  the  other  pipe- 
bearer  looks  after  the  presents  the  priest  receives  for  instructing  the 
dancers. 

SECOND   DAY. 

With  daybreak  the  servants  began  clearing  and  making  ready 
the  space  within  the  camp-circle,  and  the  principal  participants  and 
mounted  Dog  Soldiers  began  to  appear. 

Preparation  for  the  Sham  Battle. 
At  about  seven  o'clock  the  chief,  White-Eagle,  made  the  follow- 
ing announcement:  "The  enemies  are  coming  to  attack  our  camp. 
We  must  be  on  the  alert.  All  you  young  men  get  ready,  for  we 
must  drive  them  away  and  let  them  know  that  we  are  prepared  to 
repulse  any  depredation  at  all  times.  Mount  your  ponies,  shoulder 
your  guns,  prepare  to  follow  your  leader  (Hairy-Bear)  and  repulse 
them.  They  must  be  driven  away  for  the  safety  of  our  camp  and 
of  our  women  and  children."  Immediately  following  this  announce- 
ment, young  men  and  old,  gayly  attired,  began  to  appear  and  parade 
around  the  inside  of  the  camp-circle.  Big-Elk  from  time  to  time 
urged  them  to  hurry  and  called  for  more  men  to  volunteer.  Near  the 
the  center  of  the  circle  Big-Elk  took  his  position  with  a  standard, 
and  by  him  sat  several  musicians  about  a  large  drum.  (See  PI.  IV, 
Fig.  1 .)  Near  the  drummers  were  gathered  the  men  who  had  been 
selected  to  fast  and  dance  in  the  ceremony.  White-Eagle  stood  to 
their  left  and  directed  the  performance,  which  was  in  the  nature 
of  preparation  to  meet  the  enemy.  Thus  arranged,  they  sang  war- 
songs  and  related  war  stories  for  about  an  hour.     (See  PI.  V.) 

Spying  the  Centre-Pole. 
In  the  mean  time  the  mounted  warriors,  the  so-called  Dog  Soldiers, 
led  by  Little-Soldier,  set  off  to  the  north  and  went  to  the  timber 
to  go  through  the  formality  of  spying  the  tall  willow  tree  (chosen 
because  the  willow  is  hard  to  kill),  which  had  been  selected  the 
night  before  by  the  chiefs.  (See  PI.  IV,  Fig.  2.)  Then  they  re- 
turned toward  the  camp-circle,  having  painted  themselves  and  be- 
ing provided  with  grape-vine  'shields  and  willow  poles  for  lances. 


Dec,  1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  73. 

The  majority  of  the  horses  were  painted,  and  provided  with  wil- 
low collars  and  bell  pendants.  They  entered  the  camp-circle  on 
the  north  side,  and  singing,  shouting  and  yelling,  and  brandishing 
their  guns,  they  rapidly  rode  around  the  camp-circle,  passing  via 
the  east  and  south.  Then  they  charged  upon  the  equally  bedecked 
and  painted  crowd  in  the  centre  of  the  circle,  and  for  over  half 
an  hour  there  ensued  a  very  spirited  and  hilarious  sham  battle. 
(See  PI.  VI.)  During  the  sham  battle  White-Eagle  and  the  sub-chiefs 
selected  certain  men  to  "capture  the  enemy,"  that  is,  to  go  with  the 
one  who  located  the  tree  to  the  timber,  cut  the  tree  and  bring  it  to 
the  centre  of  the  camp-circle.  It  was  then  about  midday  and  all 
went  to  their  tipis  for  the  noon  feast  and  to  give  away  presents, 
to  show  their  joy  at  the  successful  outcome  of   the  sham  battle. 

Moving  the  Tipis  of  Preparation. 
Mention  has  been  made  of  the  tipis  selected  by  the  priests  on 
the  previous  day,  which  served  as  meeting -places.  In  the  early 
morning  each  of  these  was  taken  up  bodily  by  women,  relatives  of 
the  priests,  and  carried  within  the  camp-circle  about  one  hundred 
feet  towards  the  centre.  (See  PI.  II,  Fig.  2.)  These  tipis  then  became 
sacred  and  secret,  and  could  not  be  entered  by  any  one  except  the 
priests  who  belonged  to  them,  or  later  by  the  dancers  who  elected  to 
have  as  grandfather  a  priest,  who,  in  conjunction  with  one  or  more 
priests,  owned  the  tipis. 

Inviting  the  Dancers. 
Immediately  after  assembling  in  the  secret  tipis  the  servants 
were  given  the  names  of  those  who  were  to  be  invited  to  fast.  They 
at  once  made  the  round  of  the  camp  crying  out  the  names.  The 
men  on  hearing  their  names  called  went  to  any  one  of  the  four  secret 
tipis  they  chose,  and  each  selected  as  grandfather  the  one  he  pre- 
ferred to  be  his  instructor.  Each  grandfather,  however,  aimed  to 
get  at  least  four  men  to  paint  and  direct.  Having  chosen  a  grand- 
father, they  henceforth  remained  in  his  tipi,  except  when  they  were 
in  the  Sun  Dance  lodge  proper.  In  this  secret  tipi  they  were  painted 
and  costumed  for  the  public  performances,  and  from  the  time  they 
entered  the  tipi  until  the  ceremony  came  to  an  end  they  fasted. 

Building  the  Lodge. 
At  about  two  o'clock  a  large  body  of  men  and  women  went  to 
the  timber  and  brought  in  many  short  limbs.     With  these,  under 
the  direction  of  White-Eagle,   the   Sun  Dance  lodge  was  erected. 


74       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

This  differed  entirely  from  the  elaborate  and  substantial  lodge  erected 
by  the  Cheyenne  and  Arapaho.  The  limbs  were  sharpened  at  one 
end  and  thrust  into  the  ground  in  the  form  of  a  circle  about  seventy- 
five  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  wide  open  space  or  doorway  towards 
the  east.  In  this  condition  the  lodge  remained  until  the  following 
morning. 

Capturing  the  Centre-Pole. 
In  the  mean  time  the  men  appointed  by  White-Eagle  in  the  fore- 
noon, led  by  the  one  who  had  located  the  centre-pole,  had  gone  to 
that  part  of  the  timber  where  the  willow  tree  was  standing.  Arrived 
at  the  tree  they  halted,  and  the  leader,  Little-Soldier,  related  a 
war  story,  telling  how  he  had  killed  an  enemy.  Then  he  rode  around 
the  tree,  thus  capturing  it.  The  man  selected  to  chop  the  tree 
walked  around  it  four  times,  touching  the  tree  once  each  time.  Then 
each  man  present  marched  around  it,  counting  coup  on  the  enemy. 
After  that  it  was  felled  without  further  ceremony,  and  carried  by  men 
to  the  edge  of  the  camp-circle,  where  it  was  placed  so  as  to  extend 
north  and  south  or  crosswise  to  the  sun,  and  there  it  was  left  until 
the  following  morning.  It  should  have  been  taken  into  the  circle 
in  the  afternoon,  but  the  men  were  too  late  in  returning  with  it. 
As  late  as  seven  o'clock  White-Eagle  and  Hairy-Bear  rode  around 
the  camp  pleading  that  the  pole  be  brought  in,  although  they  knew 
that  their  plea  would  be  in  vain.  Furthermore,  the  lodge  should 
have  been  dedicated  on  this  night,  but,  as  that  was  impossible,  the 
men  invited  to  fast  danced  and  sang  informally,  both  within  and 
without  the  inclosure. 

The  Four  Tipi  Altars. 

These  altars,  or  dry  sand  paintings,  were  erected  in  the  after- 
noon, but  the  accompanying  rites  were  not  observed.  Whether 
each  altar  was  the  work  of  one  priest,  or  of  all  in  the  tipi,  was  not 
ascertained,  nor  is  it  known  to  what  extent,  if  any,  the  dancers 
were  allowed  to  participate  in  any  rites  which  may  have  accom- 
panied the  construction  of  the  altars. 

Altar  No.  i.  A  circular  area  within  the  tipi  had  been  cleared 
and  the  ground  made  smooth.  The  diameter  of  this  cleared  space 
was  about  five  feet.  The  space  surrounding  the  cleared  area  was 
covered  with  sage,  the  butts  being  directed  toward  the  outer  edge 
of  the  tipi.  The  symbol  itself  consisted  of  four  concentric  circles, 
the  one  on  the  inside  being  red,  the  second  yellow,  the  third  green. 
These  circles  were  made  by  excavating  the  earth  to  a  slight  depth 


Dec,  1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  75 

and  covering  the  excavated  surface  with  dried  paint.  The  three 
inner  circles  were  distant  from  each  other  about  six  inches.  The 
outer  circle  was  not  excavated,  but  was  produced  by  covering  a  broad, 
irregular  area  outside  the  third  circle  with  red  paint,  which  extended 
as  far  as  the  sage.     (See  PI.  VII,  Fig.  1.) 

Altar  No.  2.  As  in  the  first  tipi,  the  central  part  of  the  space 
within  the  tipi  had  been  thoroughly  cleared  and  the  remaining  por- 
tion covered  with  sage.  In  the  centre  of  this  cleared  area  was  a  cross, 
with  arms  of  equal  length,  produced  by  two  lines  of  sand  made  at 
right  angles.  At  the  end  of  each  line  was  a  peculiarly  shaped  symbol 
representing  in  a  somewhat  realistic  manner  the  buffalo  hoof.  The 
explanation  given  of  this  altar  was  that  the  sage  represented  the 
people,  the  arms  of  the  cross  the  paths  of  the  buffalo  and  of  the 
four  winds,  the  buffalo  hoofs,  of  course,  being  symbolic  of  the  buffalo. 
(See  PI.  VII,  Fig.  2'.) 

Altar  No.,  3.  The  cleared  space  and  the  sage  occupied  the 
same  relative  areas  they  did  in  the  first  and  second  tipis.  In  the 
cleared  area  was  a  comparatively  level  sand  field,  about  two  feet 
in  diameter.  Surrounding  this  was  a  shallow  trench  two  inches  in 
width,  with  its  sides  covered  with  red  paint.  Over  the  sand  field 
the  narrow  trench  and  the  area  of  cleared  ground  still  remaining 
were  scattered  eagle  downy  feathers.  According  to  my  informant, 
"there  should  have  been  four  colors  in  this  altar,  but  the  leaders 
had  changed  it  to  suit  themselves,  in  order  to  make  the  medicine 
stronger."  The  red  trench  was  the  symbol  of  the  sun,  while  the  whole 
altar  represented  the  nest  of  the  Thunder-Bird.  (See  PI.  VIII,  Fig.  1, 
and  PI.  IX,  Fig.  1.) 

Altar  No.  4.  The  altar  in  this  tipi  bore  a  general  resemblance 
to  that  in  No.  1,  the  centre  of  the  cleared  area  being  occupied  by 
four  concentric  circles,  the  inner  by  four  concentric  circles,  with 
equal  space  between  them.  The  inner  circle,  two  feet  and  a  half 
in  diameter,  was  blue,  the  second  circle  was  red,  the  next  blue,  and 
the  outer  circle  red.  No  explanation  was  obtained  concerning  the 
meaning  of  this  altar,  beyond  the  statement  that  it  was  the  sun's 
symbol  of  one  of  the  four  medicine  worlds.  (See  PI.  VIII,  Fig.  2, 
and  PI.  IX,  Fig.  2.) 

THIRD    DAY. 

At  sunrise  White-Eagle  made  the  circuit  of  the  camp-circle  on 
horseback,  calling  for  the  dancers  to  repair  to  their  respective  tipis 
of  preparation. 


76       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

The  Race  to  the  Centre-Pole. 

Within  half  an  hour  the  dancers,  in  charge  of  their  grandfathers, 
left  the  four  tipis  and  assembled  on  the  south  side  of  the  camp. 
There  they  formed  in  one  long  line  facing  north.  The  dancers  were 
entirely  naked  except  for  a  loin-cloth  and  blanket.  Their  blankets 
were  given  to  the  servants  of  their  grandfathers,  and  as  they  re- 
ceived them  they  shouted  four  times.  At  the  signal  all  raced  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  circle  where  the  winner  of  the  race,  Crazy- 
Buffalo,  stepped  upon  the  foot  of  the  centre-pole,  thus  having  the 
honor  of  first  counting  coup  on  a  dead  enemy.  The  other  racers 
repeated  this  performance.  One  struck  it  with  a  stick,  and  all 
sang  a  victory  song  in  honor  of  the  winner  of  the  race.  Then  by 
means  of  short  poles,  which  had  already  been  provided  for  the  pur- 
pose, they  lifted  the  tree  and  carried  it  to  the  Sun  Dance  lodge , 
halting  four  times  on  the  way.  The  dancers  and  their  grandfathers 
returned  to  the  secret  tipis  to  begin  preparation  for  the  ceremony 
proper.  The  Dog  Soldiers  went  to  the  timber  for  additional  boughs 
to  complete  the  arbor  forming  the  lodge.  When  these  were  in  place 
women  fastened  four  canvas  tipis  to  the  sides  of  the  arbor  and  at- 
tached the  free  ends  to  the  lodge  poles,  thus  forming  a  better  protec- 
tion for  the  dancers  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun. 


Painting  the  Centre-Pole. 

The  chiefs,  leaders,  and  priests  gathered  around  the  centre-pole. 
Standing-Elk  related  some  war  stories,  each  story  stating  that  on 
the  return  of  each  party  they  were  successful  and  wore  the  black 
paint  of  victory.  Then  White-Eagle  related  seven  war  tales,  each 
one  with  an  equally  happy  ending.  Next  Red-Leaf  related  a  tale 
in  which  the  victors  returned  home  wounded  and  covered  with  blood. 
At  the  end  of  this  tale  a  band  of  red  a  foot  and  a  half  wide  was  painted 
near  the  centre  of  the  pole  by  Little-Walker,  who  also  painted  the 
skull  in  his  secret  tipi.  (See  PI.  X.)  Then  Yellow-Bear  related 
the  story  of  a  victorious  party  who,  upon  returning  home,  found 
that  they  had  no  black  paint  and  so  had  to  burn  grass  for  use  in 
blacking  their  faces.  Little-Walker  then  burned  some  dry  grass, 
and  with  the  black  ash  thus  formed  he  painted  a  black  band  just 
above  the  red  one.  A  large  bundle  of  willows  was  placed  in  the 
fork  of  the  pole,  tied  by  a  long  lariat  rope  which  hung  free,  and  a 
black  handkerchief  was  tied  to  one  of  the  forks  as  a  mourning  symbol. 
Without  further  rites  the  pole  was  raised  into  position.     (See  PI.  XL) 


Dec,  1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  77 

Preparation  for  the  Altar. 

After  the  pole  was  erected  the  women  cleared  with  hoes  a  cir- 
cular space  about  ten  feet  in  diameter  west  of  and  between  the  centre- 
pole  and  the  outer  edge  of  the  lodge.  The  dirt  they  piled  just  at  the 
foot  of  the  centre-pole  on  the  west  side.  About  the  outer  or  western 
quarter  of  the  rim  of  the  cleared  space  they  placed  a  layer  of  weed 
sage. 

In  the  mean  time  before  the  tipi  of  each  man  selected  to  dance 
during  the  ceremony  a  long  trimmed  pole  had  been  erected  by  his 
mother  or  a  female  relative,  from  the  top  of  which  streamed  a  long 
piece  of  calico  or  cloth.  These  were  offerings  or  sacrifices,  and 
indicated  that  the  tipis  over  which  they  waved  were  contributing 
to  the  ceremony.  Should  a  man  erect  one  of  the  banners  he  would 
be  classed  as  a  woman. 

The  Dancers  Enter  the  Lodge. 
When  the  lodge  was  ready,  a  crier  went  forth  to  inform  the  priests, 
who,  during  the  time  of  the  performance  of  the  above-mentioned 
rites,  had  been  in  the  secret  tipis  preparing  and  painting  the  dancers. 
The  priests  and  their  subjects  came  forth  from  the  tipis  and  started 
towards  the  lodge.  On  the  way  they  halted  four  times,  sitting  down 
on  the  ground  for  a  few  minutes  each  time.  (See  Pis.  XII  and  XIII.) 
Arriving  at  the  entrance  of  the  lodge,  they  passed  on  around  the  out- 
side, encircling  it  by  the  way  of  the  south  and  west,  halting  four  times ; 
again,  arriving  at  the  entrance  of  the  lodge,  they  turned  and  entered 
by  groups,  each  led  by  a  priest  or  grandfather,  in  the  following  order: 
1.  No-Ear.  2.  Little-Walker.  3.  Two-Crows.  4.  Sits-on-Hill.  5. 
Little-Hard-Man.  The  dancers  of  each  group  were  all  painted  and  cos- 
tumed alike,  each  bearing  the  paint  and  costume  of  his  grandfather. 
The  grandfather  not  only  paints  himself,  but  dances  and  fasts  as  do  the 
regular  subjects.  As  the  names  of  the  dancers  proper  have  already 
been  given  in  connection  with  their  so-called  grandfathers  in  the 
list  of  Participants,  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  them.  In  describing 
the  Paints,  the  numbers  of  groups  will  refer  to  the  numbers  as  ar- 
ranged above. 

Completion  of  the  Altar. 
As  the  line  of  dancers  entered  the  lodge,  No-Ear  and  Little- 
Walker  turned  toward  the  cleared  space  and  the  latter  placed  the 
painted  buffalo  skull,  which  he  had  carried  from  his  lodge,  upon 
the  sage,  so  that,  at  the  outer  edge  of  the  cleared  space,  the  skull 
faced   towards   the   centre-pole.     Then    No-Ear    deposited   on   the 


78       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

ground  a  pipe,  which  he  so  placed  that  its  stem  leaned  against  the 
base  of  one  of  the  horns.  This  completed  the  altar.  The  skull 
bore  the  following  paint,  which  presumably  had  been  done  by  a 
priest  while  in  the  lone  tipi.  (See  Fig.  i.)  On  the  forehead  of  the 
skull  was  a  square,  the  anterior  and  posterior  lines  of  the  square  being 
continued  down  the  sides  of  the  skull.  In  front  of  these  were  two 
additional  lines  continuing  entirely  across  the  skull.  On  each  side  of 
the  lines  of  the  square  were  two  other  lines,  which  were  continued 
backwards  to  the  base  of  the  skull,  the  anterior  ends  of  these  two 
lines  being  connected  by  two  parallel  lines.  All  of  the  lines  were 
narrow  red  lines.      (See  PL  XIV.) 


Fig.  i.     Diagram  of  paint  of  buffalo  skull. 


Beginning  of  the  Dance.  <■ 
Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  dancers  several  musicians 
entered  the  lodge  and  took  their  places  about  a  large  drum  inside 
the  lodge  and  just  south  of  the  entrance.  They  at  once  began  to 
shout  in  a  high  voice  and  beat  irregularly  on  the  drum.  The  dancers, 
grandfathers,  and  pipe-bearers,  who  had  seated  themselves  in  a 
long,  semi-circular  line  about  the  west  half  side  of  the  lodge,  arose. 
The  grandfathers  began  shaking  their  bells  or  whatever  they  held 
in  their  hands.  The  dancers  began  to  cry  and  heave  their  chests 
in  a  peculiar  form  of  prayer.     All  raised  their  right  hand  toward 


Dec,  1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  79 

the  centre-pole.  Then  they  placed  the  whistles  in  their  mouths, 
and,  facing  the  centre-pole,  they  began  to  whistle  and  dance  in  time 
to  the  singing  and  drumming,  which  had  now  become  regular;  Thus 
they  danced  during  four  successive  songs,  which  occupied  half  an 
hour.  Then  the  drummers  arose  and  passed  outside*  the  lodge 
towards  the  east.  The  dancers  followed  and,  halting  by  the  side 
of  the  long  poles  with  the  calico  banners,  they  formed  in  one  long 
line  east  and  west  and  faced  the  sun  and  danced.  (See  PI.  XV.) 
All  returned  to  the  lodge,  where  they  continued  to  dance  at  inter- 
vals for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  dancing  outside  to  the  sun  on 
two  additional  occasions.  On  one  of  these  two  occasions  they  waved 
towards  the  sun  for  long  periods  the  wreaths  or  shields  or  whatever 
else  they  held  in  their  hands. 

At  two  o'clock  the  relatives  of  the  dancers  provided  a  feast  for 
all  the  musicians  and  guests.  During  the  day  there  was  much 
rejoicing  and  giving  away  of  ponies,  etc.     (See  PI.  XVI.) 

The  Evening  and  Night  Performance. 

After  a  long  period  of  rest  in  the  afternoon,  the  dancers,  just 
before  sunset,  filed  out  of  the  lodge  and  passed  around  by  way  of 
the  south  to  the  west  side  tipi,  where  they  formed  in  one  long  line 
facing  the  setting  sun  in  the  west.  Behind  them  were  grouped 
the  musicians  about  the  drum.  In  front  of  the  line  of  dancers  stood 
Hairy-Bear.  In  this  position  they  danced  for  over  half  an  hour. 
From  time  to  time  the  grandfathers  stepped  from  the  line  in  front 
of  their  subjects,  exhorted  them,  waved  their  leaves  and  sun-glasses, 
etc.  (See  PI.  XVII.)  The  dancing  was  extremely  spirited  through- 
out this  period,  and  the  greatest  religious  enthusiasm  was  shown 
by  the  crowd  of  spectators,  who  formed  in  long  lines  extending  from 
the  east  to  the  west  on  each  side  of  the  end  of  the  line.  After  the 
sun  had  completely  disappeared,  the  grandfathers  and  dancers  engaged 
in  a  long  and  earnest  prayer.  Then  they  sat  down  and  faced  the 
east  for  a  short  period.  Thereupon  they  returned  to  the  tipi  and 
rested  until  about  eleven  o'clock  that  night.  Then  they  all  arose, 
passed  out  of  the  tipis  and  stood  facing  east  and  danced  to  the  moon 
for  nearly  an  hour.  They  returned  to  the  tipi  and  rested  until  after 
midnight,  when  they  again  left  the  tipi  and  danced,  facing  the  west, 
to  the  moon.  The  two  remaining  hours  of  the  night  were  passed  in 
sleep. 

FOURTH    DAY. 

Shortly  before  sunrise  the  dancers  began  to  adjust  their  kilts 
and  made   ready   for  the   sunrise   performance.     They   passed   out 


80       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

of  the  tipi,  accompanied  by  the  grandfathers  and  musicians,  as 
on  the  preceding  day.  They  formed  in  one  long  line,  facing  the 
east  and  danced  until  the  sun  appeared.  Again  they  prayed  long 
and  earnestly,  as  on  the  preceding  night.  They  re-entered  the  tipi, 
and  after  a  short  period  of  inactivity,  they  received  their  second 
paint.  By  seven  o'clock  they  were  again  ready  for  the  dance,  and, 
rising,  they  stood  and  prayed  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Then 
they  danced,  facing  the  centre-pole,  while  the  grandfathers  earnestly 
exhorted  and  encouraged  them. 

Several  times  during  the  day  they  left  the  tipi  as  on  the  pre- 
ceding day,  and  danced  with  their  eyes  fully  turned  towards  the 
blazing  sun.  Many  times  during  this  dance  the  grandfathers  worked 
themselves  and  subjects  into  a  frenzy  of  excitement,  waving  before 
the  dancers  their  wreaths  and  shields,  or  by  means  of  small  hand- 
mirrors  reflecting  the  sun  directly  in  their  subjects'  eyes;  at  other 
times  running  about  the  dancers,  gesticulating  frantically,  or  directing 
their  attention  to  something  in  the  sun  which  they  themselves  could 
see,  and  wished  that  the  dancers  might  see.  (See  Pis.  XVIII  and 
XIX.) 

Throughout  the  day's  performance  there  was  much  feasting 
about  the  camp,  and  many  ponies  and  other  presents  were  given  away 
during  the  dancing  episodes.  Many  presents,  especially  ponies, 
were  also  given  to  a  band  of  about  thirty  Pawnees,  who  were  visit- 
ing the  Poncas  on  this  occasion.  During  the  day  there  were  also 
held  many  mourning  feasts  and  dances,  at  different  points  in  the 
camp-circle,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  women  held  a  scalp  dance. 
(See  PI.  XX.) 

FIFTH  DAY. 
The  Sunrise  Dance. 
At  five  in  the  morning  the  dancers  were  still  asleep,  lying  in  a 
circle  about  the  edge  of  the  lodge,  their  heads  turned  towards  the 
centre-pole.  Shortly  after,  they  began  to  awaken,  and  before  sun- 
rise they  had  brushed  their  hair  carefully  and  adjusted  their  cos- 
tume. Led  by  the  musicians,  who  beat  in  irregular  time  upon  the 
drum,  they  passed  outside  the  lodge  and  faced  towards  the  east, 
and,  raising  both  hands  towards  the  sun,  prayed  for  fifteen  minutes. 
Then,  to  the  exhortations  of  the  grandfathers,  or  the  jingling  of  bells, 
the  waving  of  bandoleers,  etc.,  they  danced  during  four  songs.  After 
the  dance  they  returned  to  the  lodge  to  receive  the  third  paint.  By 
eight  o'clock  all  were  ready.  They  passed  out  of  the  lodge  in  groups 
and  not  in  single  file  as  before.     Each  group,  led  by  its  leader,  went 


Dec,   1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  81 

either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left  and  encircled  the  lodge,  and  in  regular 
positions  danced  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Thus  the  forenoon  was 
spent. 

The  Final  Dance. 
Shortly  after  noon  all  the  dancers  in  line  passed  outside  the 
lodge,  went  towards  the  south  to  the  west  of  the  lodge  and  faced 
the  sun  overhead.  Here  they  danced  for  nearly  an  hour,  the  dance 
being  of  an  extremely  spirited  nature.  All  then  re-entered  the  lodge, 
the  dancers  removed  the  cotton  bands  from  their  wrists  and  ankles 
and  the  willow  wreaths  from  their  bodies,  and  deposited  them, 
along  with  the  bunches  of  sage  they  had  held  in  their  hands,  on 
the  mound  at  the  foot  of  the  centre-pole.  (See  PI.  XXI,  Fig.  1.)  Those 
who  had  used  black  handkerchiefs  and  those  who  had  carried  the 
little  images  attached  them  to  the  base  of  the  centre-pole.  During 
this  performance  the  Dog  Soldiers  formed  in  a  semi-circle  facing  the 
lodge   outside,  and  the  priests  formed  in  a  circle  just  behind  them. 

Secret  Rites  in  the  Tipis  of  Preparation. 

After  the  dancers  had  removed  all  of  their  paraphernalia,  ex- 
cept their  kilts  and  loin-cloths,  they  reassembled  in  groups,  and 
each,  led  by  its  grandfather,  went  to  one  or  the  other  of  the  secret 
tipis  of  preparation.  The  group  from  tipi  No.  4,  that  of  White- 
Eagle,  was  followed  by  the  author.  Arrived  at  the  tipi,  the  leaders 
entered  first,  and  were  followed  by  the  dancers.  They  all  sat  down 
in  a  circle  around  the  sides  of  the  tipi.  The  pipe-bearers  entered, 
while  a  group  of  Dog  Soldiers  sat  outside. 

Female  relatives  of  the  dancers  brought  food  to  the  tipi,  and 
it  was  passed  inside. 

The  Sacrifice. 
White-Eagle  sat  opposite  the  entrance  of  the  tipi  and  having 
the  sand-picture  between  him  and  the  opening,  took  a  cup  of  water 
in  his  left  hand  and  with  the  thumb  of  his  right  made  a  small  hole 
at  the  edge  of  the  sand-picture.  Into  this  he  poured  some  water, 
covered  the  hole,  took  a  bunch  of  sage,  dipped  it  in  the  cup  and 
drew  it  across  the  mouth  of  the  dancer  who  sat  next  to  him.  Then 
with  his  hand  he  pressed  the  rest  of  the  water  from  the  sage  upon 
the  dancer's  head.  He  again  dipped  it  into  the  water,  and  went 
through  the  same  performance  with  the  dancer  next  in  line,  and  so 
on  until  he  had  gone  entirely  around  the  circle.  He  then  passed 
the  same  piece  of  sage  over  the  sun  symbol,  drawing  it  back  and 
forth  irregularly.     Then  he  passed  it  back  and  forth  on  the  symbo 


82      Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

and  destroyed  it.  Next  a  cup  of  water  was  handed  to  each  one  of 
the  dancers,  after  which  each  drank  his  fill  from  the  pail.  Then 
White-Eagle  took  from  a  bowl  some  corn  and  offered  it  to  the  sun 
symbol  on  the  south  side.  Food,  consisting  chiefly  of  dog-meat, 
was  then  distributed  among  the  dancers.  As  each  dancer  received 
his  portion,  he  broke  off  a  bit,  raised  it  aloft,  muttered  a  prayer, 
and  dropped  it  on  the  centre  of  the  sun-symbol.  After  the  feast, 
White-Eagle  uttered  a  prayer. 

Torture. 

At  this  point  the  author  left  this  tipi,  and  went  to  White-Deer's 
tipi,  called  hitherto  No.  i.  So  far  as  could  be  learned,  the  same 
rites  had  been  performed  here  as  in  tipi  No.  4.  On  entering,  the 
dancers  were  preparing  themselves  for  the  sacrifice.  Seated  in 
the  centre  was  the  priest,  and  one  after  the  other  the  dancers  took 
a  place  by  him,  each  as  he  did  so  turning  his  right  shoulder  to  the 
priest.  The  latter  thereupon  took  up  an  awl  which  he  thrust  in 
the  skin  over  the  shoulder-bone,  and,  lifting  up  the  skin,  he  cut  off 
with  a  knife  a  circular  piece  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  which 
he  placed  in  the  outstretched  hand  of  the  dancer.  Thereupon, 
the  latter  stood  up,  raised  the  piece  of  skin  upward,  offering  it  to  the 
sun,  then  placed  it  on  a  small  piece  of  cloth  with  tobacco  seeds,  which 
had  been  provided  for  that  purpose.  During  this  rite  of  sacrifice 
much  good  feeling  and  jollity  and  even  hilarity  prevailed  in  the 
tipi.  After  the  priest  had  completed  taking  the  sacrifice  from  the 
last  dancer,  each  handed  to  the  priest  his  little  packet  containing 
the  tobacco  and  the  piece  of  skin;  these  he  took  to  the  lodge  and 
deposited  them  on  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  centre- pole. 
(See  PI.  XXI,  Fig.  2.)  It  was  then  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon and  the  ceremony  was  at  an  end. 

PAINTS    AND   COSTUMES. 

All  dancers  at  all  times  wore  their  hair  loose,  and  were  naked, 
except  for  a  loose,  white  skirt,  over  which  hung  in  front  the  loose 
end  of  a  red  or  blue  loin-cloth.  None  of  them  at  any  time  wore 
moccasins.  Besides  the  paint  which  the  dancers  of  each  group 
wore  in  common,  the  members  of  each  group  wore  or  carried  distinc- 
tive objects  of  special  nature.  When  the  contrary  is  not  stated, 
it  will  be  understood  that  all  the  dancers,  including  the  grandfather 
or  the  one  who  painted  them,  and  his  servant  and  pipe-bearers, 
were  painted  and  costumed  alike.  Each  dancer  carried  in  one  hand 
a  bunch  of  sage,  and  all  wore  wrist  and  ankle  bands  of  cotton,  which 


Dec,  1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  83 

are  symbolic  of  clouds.  Thus  they  make  themselves  plain  to  the 
Thunder- Bird.  Each  dancer  also  wore  on  his  breast  the  usual  eagle- 
wing  bone  Sun  Dance  whistle,  which  was  suspended  from  a  cord 
around  his  neck.  The  lower  end  of  the  whistle,  that  is,  the  part  he 
inserted  in  the  mouth,  was  covered  with  short  sage  stems.  This  is 
said  to  prevent  the  dancers  from  becoming  thirsty. 

First  Paint. 

This  is  the  paint  worn  on  the  third  day  of  the  first  entry  of  the 
lodge.  As  before  noted,  all  preparations  of  costumes,  painting,  etc., 
were  done  in  the  secret  tipis. 

1st  Group.  All  wore  an  eagle  breath  feather  attached  by  a  short 
string  to  the  scalp  lock,  and  a  necklace  of  long,  red  horsehair,  so 
arranged  as  to  extend  well  down  on  the  breast  and  shoulders.  (See 
PI.  XXII,  Fig.  1.)  The  entire  body  was  painted  yellow.  Blue  dots 
extended  down  the  arms  and  surrounded  the  face.  (See  PI.  XXIII, 
Fig.  1.)  The  upper  half  of  the  face  of  the  grandfather  was  painted 
black. 

2d  Group.  All  wore  an  eagle  breath  feather  attached  to  the 
scalp  lock,  and  a  wide  collar  of  eagle  feathers  about  the  neck.  (See 
PI.  XXII,  Fig.  2.)  The  entire  body  was  painted  yellow,  except 
the  face,  which  was  red.  All  the  dancers,  except  the  grandfather, 
wore  a  row  of  large,  red,  circular  dots  on  the  left  arm,  and  a  red 
zigzag  line  on  the  right  arm.     (See  PI.  XXIII,  Fig.  2.) 

3d  Group.  All  wore  the  eagle  breath  feather  in  the  scalp  lock. 
The  grandfather  wore  around  his  neck  a  wreath  of  sage,  so  fash- 
ioned that  the  sage  projected  outward  on  four  sides,  thus  giving 
it  a  rectangular  appearance.  (See  PI.  XXIV,  Fig.  1.)  The  bodies 
of  all  were  painted  yellow.  The  faces  were  painted  a  bright  red, 
surrounded  by  a  row  of  white  dots.  On  the  right  arms  were  zigzag 
lines,  and  on  the  left  rows  of  large  circular  dots,  both  in  bright  red. 
(See  PL  XXV,  Fig.  1.) 

4th  Group.  All  wore  an  eagle  breath  feather  in  the  scalp  lock 
and  a  collar  of  eagle  tail  feathers  around  the  neck.  Three  of  the 
dancers  carried  in  their  right  hands  a  compactly  made  ring  of  willow ; 
the  fourth  carried  in  his  right  hand  a  similar  ring  of  sage,  to  which 
were  attached  eight  eagle  breath  feathers.  (See  PI.  XXIV,  Fig.  2.) 
The  entire  bodies  of  all  were  painted  yellow ;  so  were  the  faces  of  all 
except  one,  who  had  only  a  blue  line  across  his  face.  The  others  bore 
a  row  of  blue  dots  around  their  faces. 

5th  Group.  All  wore  eagle  breath  feathers  attached  to  their 
scalp  locks.  The  grandfather  wore  a  necklace  or  collar  of  black 
eagle  feathers  and  all  the  dancers  wore  a  collar  of  crow  feathers. 


84       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

(See  PI.  XXVI,  Fig,  i.)  The  entire  body  of  all  in  the  group  was 
painted  yellow,  except  the  face,  which  was  red,  surrounded  by  very 
large  white  spots.  A  row  of  large  white  spots  extended  up  and 
down  each  arm  and  a  circular  row  was  found  on  the  breast.  (See 
PI.  XXV,  Fig.  2.) 

6th  Group.  The  grandfather  and  three  dancers  wore  a  bandoleer 
of  crow  feathers,  the  last  dancer  wearing  a  bandoleer  of  hawk 
feathers.  All  the  dancers  carried  in  their  right  hands  a  large  sage 
ring,  to  which  was  attached  eight  eagle  breath  feathers.  The  grand- 
father in  his  right  hand  carried  a  black  handkerchief  to  which  was 
attached  a  bell.  (See  PI.  XXVI,  Fig.  2.)  The  bodies  of  all  were 
painted  yellow.  The  faces  were  surrounded  by  small  white  dots. 
On  the  breast,  back,  and  arms  were  marks  made  by  applying  the 
fingers  when  the  paint  was  wet.     (See  PL  XXVII,  Fig.  1.) 

yth  Group.  All  wore  the  eagle  breath  feather  attached  to  the 
scalp  lock  and  a  black-tipped  eagle  tail  feather  in  the  hair.  All  wore 
an  otter-skin  band  on  the  right  wrist,  to  which  was  attached  a  small 
red  painted  human  image  of  rawhide,  and  a  bunch  of  crow  feathers. 
(See  PL  XXVIII,  Fig.  1.)  The  bodies  of  all  were  painted  red.  The 
face  was  also  red,  except  within  a  white  line  which  surrounded  the 
face.  Over  the  red  of  the  body  were  white  lines,  from  ten  to  three 
inches  long,  made  by  the  fingers.    (See  PL  XXVII,  Fig.  2.) 

8th  Group.  All  wore  a  red  painted  human  image  of  rawhide, 
seven  inches  long,  suspended  from  a  cord  at  the  wrist.  The  grand- 
father, in  his  right  hand,  carried  a  sage  ring,  and  in  his  left  a  black 
handkerchief,  to  which  was  attached  a  bell.  One  of  the  dancers 
carried  an  eagle  feather  attached  by  a  string;  another  a  smaU  hand 
looking-glass.  One  wore  a  crow  feather  bandoleer,  and  the  remain- 
ing dancers  wore  a  hawk  feather  bandoleer.  (See  PL  XXVIII,  Fig.  2.) 
The  bodies  of  all  were  painted  red.  Around  the  faces  and  up  and 
down  the  arms  were  three  rows  of  white  dots,  the  ends  of  which 
met  in  front  of  their  necks.  The  tops  of  their  heads  were  besmeared 
with  thick  red  paint.     (See  PL  XXIX,  Fig.  1.) 

gth  Group.  All  carried  medicine  war  shields  and  wore  in  their 
scalp  locks  an  eagle  breath  feather  attached  to  a  long  string.  One 
wore  a  plain  rawhide  bandoleer;  another  wore  a  red  stained  horse- 
hair necklace;  another  wore  a  broad  bead  necklace  and  a  red  string 
bandoleer.  (See  Plate  XXX.)  The  grandfather  and  two  dancers 
were  painted  red.  On  the  left  side  of  the  face  was  a  crescent- shaped 
line  in  blue.  (See  PL  XXIX,  Fig.  2.)  The  other  three  dancers 
were  painted  yellow,  with  a  blue  line  passing  across  their  nose 
from   one  cheek  to  the  other.     (See   PL   XXXI,  Fig.   1.) 


Dec,  1905.         The  Poxca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  85 

Second  Paint. 

This  paint,  as  already  noted,  was  worn  on  the  third  day.  The 
dancers  were  painted  in  the  lodge  on  this  occasion,  and  not  in  the 
secret  tipi.  In  costume  and  objects  worn  on  the  body  or  carried 
in  the  hand,  no  change  was  introduced  from  the  preceding  day.  It 
remains  to  describe  the  paint  of  those  groups  which  introduced  a  new 
paint. 

4th  Group.  All  the  dancers  and  the  grandfather  were  painted 
alike.  The  body  and  face  were  painted  yellow,  and  around  the 
breast  and  around  the  face  were  black  circles. 

jth  Group.  All  the  dancers  and  the  grandfather  were  painted 
alike,  except  one,  who  was  unpainted.  The  body  was  painted 
yellow  and  the  face  red.  Surrounding  the  face  was  a  row  of  white 
dots.  Up  and  down  each  arm  was  a  zigzag  line  in  white  and  a  white 
circle  was  placed  on  the  breast.     (See  PL  XXXI,  Fig.  2.) 

yth  Group.  The  grandfather  was  painted  differently  from  the 
dancers.  His  entire  body  and  face  were  painted  yellow,  and  on  the 
right  arm  was  painted  a  zigzag  line  of  red.  The  dancers  were  painted 
yellow,  but  on  their  right  arm  bore  a  line  of  red  dots,  and  on  their 
left  arm  a  zigzag  line  of  red. 

gth  Group.  The  grandfather's  body  and  face  were  painted 
orange.  On  one  side  of  his  face  was  a  semi-circle  of  blue.  The 
bodies  and  faces  of  two  of  the  dancers  were  painted  yellow.  Across 
the  yellow-painted  face  was  a  straight  blue  line.  The  remaining 
dancers  of  this  group  had  a  red  painted  body,  with  a  blue  semi- 
circle on  the  face.     The  scalp  line  was  painted  yellow. 

Third  Paint. 

The  third  was  the  last  paint  worn  during  the  ceremony,  and  was 
applied  in  the  lodge  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth,  or  last  day.  As 
during  the  second  paint,  there  was  no  change  in  the  paraphernalia 
of  the  dancers,  but  there  was  a  complete  change  in  the  paints. 

1st  Group.  The  body  of  the  grandfather  was  painted  yellow 
throughout,  except  the  upper  half  of  the  face,  which  was  painted 
black.  The  bodies  of  the  dancers  were  painted  yellow.  Around 
the  face  and  arms  were  encircling  blue  lines. 

2d  Group.  The  bodies  of  all  the  dancers,  including  the  grand- 
father, were  painted  yellow.  The  face  of  the  grandfather  was 
painted  red,  filled  in  with  large  white  dots.  (See  PL  XXXII,  Fig.  1.) 
Around  the  faces  of  the  dancers  was  a  broad  white  line,  and  down 
the  left  arm  was  a  zigzag  line  in  red  and  down  the  right  arm  a  row 
of  large  red  dots. 


86       Field  Columbian  Museum  —  Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

3d  Group.  The  grandfather's  body  was  painted  red.  Up  and 
down  each  arm  was  a  series  of  large  white  dots,  arranged  in  parallel 
rows.  (See  PL  XXXII,  Fig.  2.)  The  bodies  of  the  dancers  were 
painted  yellow,  with  the  face  red,  encircled  by  a  white  band.  Down 
the  right  arm  was  a  single  line  of  large  red  dots,  and  down  the  left 
arm  was  a  red  zigzag  line. 

4th  Group.  The  bodies  of  the  grandfather  and  dancers  were 
painted  yellow.  That  of  the  grandfather  was  given  a  rough,  grained 
effect  by  the  application  of  the  finger  to  the  wet  paint.  Around 
the  face  was  a  black  circle,  and  on  each  breast  was  a  large  crescent- 
shaped  symbol.  (See  PL  XXXIII,  Fig.  1.)  Around  the  face  of 
each  dancer  was  a  single  row  of  large  red  dots. 

5th  Group.  The  bodies  of  the  grandfather  and  the  dancers  were 
painted  yellow.  The  grandfather  and  two  of  the  dancers  wore  on 
the  left  side  of  their  faces  a  blue  crescent-shaped  symbol.  The 
remaining  dancers  wore  a  straight  line  across  the  face,  passing  over 
the  bridge  of  the  nose. 

6th  Group.  The  bodies  of  the  grandfather  and  dancers  were 
painted  yellow.  The  face  was  painted  red,  surrounded  by  a  row  of 
white  dots.  Across  the  breast  and  shoulders  the  grandfather  wore 
ten  parallel  rows  of  white  dots.  (See  PL  XXXIII,  Fig.  2.)  The 
arms  and  bodies  of  the  dancers  were  streaked  with  white. 

yth  Group.  The  bodies  of  all  the  dancers  and  the  grandfather 
were  painted  red.  The  face  was  surrounded  by  two  rows  of  small 
green  dots.  (See  PL  XXXIV,  Fig.  1.)  The  dancers  wore  green  dots 
on  their  bodies,  and  a  white  line  around  the  face.  (See  PL  XXXIV, 
Fig.    2.) 

8th  Group.  All  were  painted  red.  Around  the  face  and  down 
the  arms  of  the  grandfather  was  a  white  zigzag  line.  (See  PL 
XXXV,  Fig.  1.)  Each  dancer  wore  two  rows  of  white  dots  around 
his  face,  and  four  rows  across  his  breast.      (See  PL  XXXV,  Fig.  2.) 

gth  Group.  One  of  the  dancers  was  unpainted.  The  remainder 
were  painted  yellow,  with  a  red  face,  surrounded  by  a  row  of  white 
dots.  There  were  three  additional  dots  on  each  cheek  and  one  on 
the  nose. 

CONCLUSION. 

While  it  -is  not  possible  at  the  present  time,  owing  to  lack  of 
more  extended  observation  and  fuller  information  from  the  priests, 
to  make  an  adequate  characterization  of  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance, 
certain  points  stand  out  prominently  and  seem  worthy  a  moment's 
consideration.     Foremost   among   these   is   the    apparent   simplicity 


Dec,  1905.         The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  —  Dorsey.  87 

of  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Cheyenne 
or  Arapaho.  It  is,  of  course,  quite  possible  that  certain  rites  are 
conducted  in  the  tipis  of  preparation  which  the  author  has  not  wit- 
nessed, and  which,  consequently,  are  not  even  mentioned  in  these 
pages;  but,  judging  from  what  was  witnessed  in  the  secret  tipis  and 
from  the  method  of  conducting  the  rites  incident  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Sun  Dance  lodge  proper,  it  seems  more  than  probable 
that  the  secret  rites  were  of  the  simplest  nature.  At  any  rate,  they 
were,  presumably,  confined  to  the  construction  of  the  various  forms 
of  sun  symbols  and  to  the  painting  of  the  dancers.  The  public  rites 
seem  to  be  confined  to  those  attending  upon  the  spying,  capturing, 
felling,  painting  and  raising  of  the  centre-pole,  and  the  race  to  the 
pole  before  it  is  brought  into  the  centre  of  the  camp-circle.  The 
altar  of  the  ceremony  proper  is  of  the  simplest  kind,  and  requires, 
apparently,  no  rites  for  its  construction,  except  such  as  may,  per- 
haps, have  been  performed  by  the  priest  when  he  painted  the  skull 
in  the  secret  tipi.  Beyond  this,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  further 
rites  of  any  importance  connected  with  the  ceremony,  until  the 
priests  and  dancers  returned  at  the  end  of  the  dance  on  the  last  day 
to  the  secret  tipis  of  preparation.  The  rites  on  this  occasion  were 
confined  to  the  sacrifice  of  water  and  food,  and  the  cutting  from 
each  dancer  of  a  piece  of  skin  from  his  shoulder  by  the  priest.  The 
last  rite  of  the  ceremony  is  connected  with  this  incident;  the  grand- 
fathers deposit  the  pieces  of  skin  which  they  have  removed,  together 
with  the  tobacco,  at  the  foot  of  the  centre-pole  in  the  Sun  Dance 
lodge. 

While  no  satisfactory  account  of  the  origin  of  the  dance  was 
obtained,  a  few  points  were  brought  out  in  conversation  with  White- 
Eagle.  According  to  the  belief  of  this  very  earnest  chief  and  priest, 
the  Ponca  have  always  performed  the  Sun  Dance.  The  lodge 
itself  is  typical  of  the  circle  of  tipis  overhead.  The  centre-pole 
seems  to  be  symbolic  of  a  man,  an  enemy,  conceived  of  as  naked, 
that  the  Great  Medicine  may  see  him.  It  is  also  conceived  of  as 
firewood,  being  of  willow,  which  is  said  to  be  hard  to  kill  and  of  a 
clean  nature.  In  the  fork  of  the  pole  is  the  nest  of  the  Thunder- 
Bird,  sometimes  spoken  of  by  the  Ponca  as  an  eagle,  sometimes  as 
a  brant  or  loon.  This  bird  produces  rain,  thunder,  and  lightning. 
The  altar  seems  to  be  symbolic  of  a  fireplace;  it  is  also  spoken  of  as 
the  sun,  which  in  turn  is  spoken  of  as  the  chief.  According  to  Ponca 
mythology,  in  the  beginning  of  creation  was  the  sun  or  fireplace, 
and  at  that  time  it  contained  the  four  colors  which  are  found  in 
the  four  tipis  of  preparation.     Next  came  the  buffalo  bull  bearing 


88       Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  VII. 

a  pipe,  offering  himself  to  the  people.  The  bull  came  from  the 
interior  of  the  earth  and  brought  the  people  the  paints  of  the  lodge. 
Thus  the  exceedingly  simple  altar  may  be  said  to  consist  of  the  fire- 
place, or  sun,  the  buffalo,  and  finally  of  the  sage,  which  is  symbolic 
of  the  people. 

In  comparing  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance  with  that  of  the  Cheyenne 
or  .Arapaho,  the  points  of  difference  stand  out  more  prominently 
than  those  of  resemblance.  Most  important  of  these  points  of 
resemblance  are  the  painted  dancers,  who  dance  with  an  eagle  bone 
whistle  in  their  mouths  towards  the  centre-pole,  or  towards  the  sun. 
The  chief  differences  between  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance  and  that  of  the 
other  group  are  as  follows:  The  Ponca  Sun  Dance  is  an  annual 
ceremony,  and  not  dependent  upon  the  vow  or  pledge  of  an  indi- 
vidual member  of  the  tribe;  the  dancers  neither  vow  to  dance  nor 
dance  because  they  belong  to  some  particular  warrior  organiza- 
tion, but  because  they  are  asked  to  do  so  by  the  priests;  instead  of 
one  secret  tipi  of  preparation,  there  are  four;  instead  of  many  rites 
in  these  tipis,  there  are  but  few,  and  these  seem  to  be  confined  to 
the  erection  of  sun  symbols;  the  lodge  itself  is  nothing  but  a  wind- 
break as  compared  with  that  of  the  Cheyenne  or  Arapaho,  which  is  a 
very  substantial  structure;  the  torture  which  the  subjects  in  -the 
Ponca  ceremony  undergo  are  not  practiced,  so  far  as  known,  by  either 
the  Cheyenne  or  the  Arapaho ;  the  Ponca  ceremony  finishes  at  midday, 
the  Cheyenne  and  Arapaho  at  sunset. 

It  should  be  noted,  finally,  that  in  the  Ponca  Sun  Dance  of  to-day 
we  have  a  ceremony  which  has  become,  perhaps,  much  simplified 
in  the  practice  and  nature  of  its  rites,  and  which  devotes  a  larger 
proportion  of  its  energies  to  the  spectacular.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  in  the  attitude  of  the  priests  when  dancing  towards  the  sun, 
they  may  be  attempting  to  hypnotize  the  dancers;  or  it  is  possible 
that  their  actions  may  be  explained  by  their  having  been  influenced 
by  their  practice  of  the  Ghost  Dance. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN   MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  VOL.  VII.      PLATE  I. 


Fig.  r 


Fig.  2 


Fig.  i.     White  Eagle,  Sun  dance  chief. 
Fig.  2.      Big  Elk,  assistant  leader. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UHJVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


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FIELD  COLUMBIAN   MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  VOL.  VII.     PLATE  IV. 


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Fig.  i 


Fig.  2 


Fig.  i.    Sun  dance  priests  assembling. 

Fig.  2.    Mounted  Dog-soldiers  leaving  the  camp-circle. 


THE  UBWW 

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FIELD  COLUMBIAN   MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  VOL.  VII.     PLATE  V. 


Sun  dance  priests  awaiting  return  of  Dog-soldiers. 


THE  UBRARV 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  Of  III** 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN  MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  VOL.  VII.     PLATE  VI. 


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Diagrams  of  third  and  fourth  altars. 


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ANTHROPOLOGY,  VOL.  VII.     PLATE  XII. 


Entrance  of  priests  and  dancers  to  Sun  dance  lodge. 


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Fig.  i.    Costume  of  first  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.    Costume  of  second  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.    Paint  of  first  group  of  dancers. 

Fig.  2.     First  paint  of  second  group  of  dancers. 


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Costume  of  fourth  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.     First  paint  of  third  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.     First  paint  of  fifth  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  2.    Costume  of  sixth  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.     First  paint  of  sixth  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.     First  paint  of  seventh  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.     First  paint  of  eighth  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.     First  paint  of  part  of  ninth  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.     First  paint  of  part  of  ninth  group  of  dancers. 
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Fig.  i.    Third  paint  of  second  group  of  dancers. 

Fig.  2.    Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  third  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.    Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  fourth  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.    Third  paint  of  sixth  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  2 


Fig.  i.    Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  seventh  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.    Third  paint  of  seventh  group  of  dancers. 


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Fig.  i.    Third  paint  of  grandfather  of  eighth  group  of  dancers. 
Fig.  2.    Third  paint  of  eighth  group  of  dancers. 


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